Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 572 - Qiu Clan's Destruction

Li Hongda knew the appraisal technique must never be leaked to the outside world, so he stood before Qiu Dingtian, insisting the latter only reveal his secret.

The other disciples of the Azure Crimson Gate quickly formed a defensive circle around the two, preventing anyone else from getting close.

"Elder Li, do you really want to know?" Qiu Dingtian's face became twisted as if he had eaten something foul. He didn't know how things turned out this way.

"As long as you share with me what Liu Wuxie told you word for word, I swear that I won't make things difficult for you," Li Hongda promised.

Qiu Dingtian might have once been an elder of the Azure Crimson Gate, but he had left the sect to establish his clan. If he stood at odds with the sect, the sect wouldn't let him go. Thus, this was considered a test for Qiu Dingtian.

"Fine, come closer then," Qiu Dingtian said, beckoning Li Hongda to come closer and mimic what Liu Wuxie did. His lips moved, and he spoke only in a voice the two could hear.

"Qiu Dingtian, how dare you fool me! The Azure Crimson Gate won't let you off from this day onward!" Li Hongda said furiously as he struck his palm at Qiu Dingtian.

The spectators began to wonder what the two talked about to provoke such a violent reaction from Li Hongda, turning the two into enemies.

"Elder Li, what are you doing? I have already told you!" Qiu Dingtian took a step back to dodge the palm strike.

The palm's force shattered the surrounding stones when it fell to the side.

"Not only did you refuse to tell me, but you even dared to fool me. You're courting death!" Li Hongda stood still, his eyes blazing with fury, but he didn't strike again immediately.

"Qiu Dingtian, there's no need for the Qiu Clan to exist in Serene Sea City any longer if you refuse to reveal the appraisal technique," said the other elder of the Azure Crimson Gate, declaring an all-out-war to wipe out the Qiu Clan.

Everyone turned their eyes to Qiu Dingtian, and tension rose.

"Qiu Dingtian, I'll give you one final chance to tell me what Liu Wuxie told you, word for word," Li Hongda said, his voice cold and menacing. The tension in the air became dense, and he could only resort to force if Qiu Dingtian remained stubborn.

"Are you all sure you want to hear it?" Qiu Dingtian didn't dare to repeat and looked at the crowd.

"Speak!" They responded in unison, impatient for his answer.

"Hmph! Don't even think about prying the secret of the technique from me," Qiu Dingtian repeated.

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His words instantly caused an uproar, especially Li Hongda, who jumped in fury. Those were the exact words that Qiu Dingtian had whispered to him earlier, a complete disregard for them. Not only did he refuse to share the technique, but his attitude was so vile.

Qiu Dingtian's words left everyone even more enraged.

Li Hongda began to tremble with anger as he drew his weapon to charge at Qiu Dingtian. He knew he could only capture the latter and pry his mouth open to obtain the technique.

Despair clouded Qiu Dingtian's mind because he wasn't lying. Liu Wuxie had whispered those words to him, but no one believed him. They didn't even allow him to explain himself.

"Run!" That was Qiu Dingtian's first instinct. He knew everyone had been blinded by greed and wouldn't hear what he said. His only hope was to flee and explain again once everyone had calmed down.

However, Qiu Dingtian's decision to escape only worsened things by confirming everyone's speculation.

Grabbing his son, Qiu Dingtian bolted out and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"After him!" someone yelled. "If he refuses to share the appraisal technique, we'll raze the Qiu Clan today!"

Everyone had been blinded by greed, and their rationale was clouded. They wouldn't give up if they couldn't obtain the appraisal technique.

The entire city descended into chaos, with some storming into the Ling Clan, the wealthiest clan in Serene Sea City, to plunder its riches. When they learned that the Ling Clan had been eradicated, countless cultivators charged into the clan and cleaned it in an hour. All the Spirit-Devouring Worms in the Ling Clan were also wiped out.

Others besieged the Qiu Clan. Li Hongda and many others had stormed the Qiu Clan's gates before Qiu Dingtian could activate the defensive barrier, and an earth-shattering battle unfolded like that.

......

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie's group of five had returned to the House of Tea Art by carriage. The gates were immediately closed to forbid anyone from entering.

Before everyone could sit, intel poured into the House of Tea Art.

After establishing itself in Serene Sea City and operating for over a year, the House of Tea Art had its own network intelligence.

Lady Yan swiftly came over to Murong Yi to deliver the latest news.

"Go ahead and speak. There's no outsider here," Murong Yi gestured to Lady Yan, saying that she didn't have to hide anything from Liu Wuxie.

"News returned with the Ling Clan wiped out, and the Qiu Clan was besieged, causing heavy casualties. The Qiu Clan won't be able to hold out much longer, and they will soon follow the Ling Clan's footsteps," Lady Yan shared the news with everyone.

The two clans had existed in Serene Sea City for centuries, but one had been destroyed, and the other was now facing destruction.

Everyone's gaze fell on Liu Wuxie instinctively. They wondered what Liu Wuxie had told Qiu Dingtian for the Qiu Clan to be besieged.

"Brother Liu, did you share the appraisal technique with Qiu Dingtian?" Chen Ruoyan asked after she finally couldn't hold it in.

"There's no such thing as an appraisal technique in the world," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head. The so-called appraisal technique was nothing but a scam.

Without appraisal technique, everyone wondered why the Azure Crimson Gate would attack the Qiu Clan.

Others might not know, but the House of Tea Art knew the relationship between the Qiu Clan and Azure Crimson Gate. They were in cahoots, and it made no sense for them to go to war for no reason.

Even Murong Yi couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Young Master Liu, can you tell us what you said to Qiu Dingtian?"

"Hmph! Don't even think about prying the secret of the technique from me," Liu Wuxie suddenly said with a stern face and righteous conviction.

The entire hall fell into a dead silence after hearing what Liu Wuxie said.

"So that's it...you practically doomed Qiu Dingtian with your words," Murong Yi said with a wry smile after realizing the truth.

Jian Xing'er and Chen Ruoyan finally figured everything out and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

ven Madam Li couldn't help but curl her lips in disdain at how much trouble Liu Wuxie had caused. His words alone had led to the downfall of both the Ling and Qiu Clans in a single day, resulting in the loss of nearly ten thousand lives.

"Brother Liu, you're so bad! Qiu Dingtian won't be able to explain himself no matter what he did," Chen Ruoyan laughed so hard that her body shook around. Even Murong Yi and Jian Xing'er nodded in acknowledgment.

Not only did Liu Wuxie cause the fall of the Ling Clan, but he even dragged the Qiu Clan down.

"You have to fight fire with fire to deal with villains," Liu Wuxie said, rubbing his nose. He didn't have a way because he couldn't escape from the guild if he didn't resort to such means.

The women all nodded and understood what Liu Wuxie said. The cultivation world was cruel, and it was to kill or be killed.

Liu Wuxie naturally wouldn't sit around when the Ling Clan wanted him dead, so he exposed their act of raising Spirit-Devouring Worms. His action had been an excellent service to the cultivators in the city by exposing them.

As for the Qiu Clan, they were in cahoots with the Azure Crimson Gate, and Liu Wuxie's strategy to sow discord among them had been executed flawlessly. He shamed the relationship between the Qiu Clan and Azure Crimson Gate and even got them to fight each other, killing two birds with one stone.

The death toll in the Qiu Clan continued to rise, and Qiu Dingtian was filled with despair to see the fall of his clansmen. His son and wife were dead, not to mention the terrible losses the clan had suffered.

Qiu Dingtian was covered with injuries, barely clinging to life with little hope of escape.

Li Hongda and the others stood far away, unwilling to let it go. They would've killed Qiu Dingtian with one strike if it weren't for the appraisal technique.

"Qiu Dingtian, are you still insisting on being stubborn even at death's door? Hurry up and tell us what Liu Wuxie said to you!" Li Hongda demanded, his voice filled with murderous intent surging towards Qiu Dingtian.

"I finally know why Liu Wuxie called you all idiots. I didn't expect you people to be worse than idiots," Qiu Dingtian sighed deeply. Now that he reflected on Liu Wuxie's insult, he realized the latter was right.

"Stop being stubborn! I will ask you again to hand over the appraisal technique!" Li Hongda's patience was thin as he slowly approached Qiu Dingtian.

Qiu Dingtian suddenly laughed like a maniac. He knew he wouldn't survive, and he finally realized that Liu Wuxie was the only person worthy of admiration after seeing all the ugly faces around him.

Liu Wuxie had fooled them all with words alone. He would've stood on Liu Wuxie's side without hesitation if he could do it again.

"What are you laughing at?" a Demonic Heart Palace's elder questioned. He was baffled as to why Qiu Dingtian was laughing when he was about to die.

"You all want to know what Liu Wuxie said to me? I'll repeat it once more: Hmph! Don't even think about prying the secret of the technique from me!" Qiu Dingtian said before he fell backward after shattering his heart vein.

Everyone heard him this time, and Li Hongda staggered. He finally understood the meaning behind Qiu Dingtian's words.

"We've all been tricked! Qiu Dingtian wasn't lying, and that was exactly what Liu Wuxie told him," another Azure Crimson Gate elder exclaimed as he descended from the sky. Their rationale was clouded by greed, and all had fallen into his trap.

Li Hongda's face paled, and he couldn't believe that he had driven his friend to death. When he recalled Qiu Dingtian’s final words, claiming them to be idiots, his regret was overwhelming.

"We were all wrong!" Those who joined the siege on the Qiu Clan pounded their chests in frustration because they were all outwitted.

From the start, Liu Wuxie had never revealed the appraisal technique to Qiu Dingtian.

Some people began to retreat quietly, ashamed to stay for another moment. That was especially true for cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm, who had all been toyed with by someone in the Heavenly Phase Realm.

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, gnashing their teeth in frustration. They finally knew why Liu Wuxie had left in such a hurry—he wanted to leave Qiu Dingtian without any way to explain himself. If Liu Wuxie had stayed, a simple confrontation would have revealed the truth.

"This is all Liu Wuxie's fault!" the Azure Crimson Gate disciples roared. This disaster had all started because of Liu Wuxie. So many lives were lost, and the Azure Crimson Gate suffered immense losses.

Most cultivators maintained their silence. So many of them were fooled by Liu Wuxie, and who had the cheek to deliver themselves to be humiliated again?

......

Waves of laughter echoed from the House of Tea Art whenever everyone recalled Liu Wuxie's words to Qiu Dingtian.

The news of Liu Wuxie's deeds spread throughout Serene Sea City in just two hours, especially how he destroyed the two powerful clans. The other clans began to withdraw into seclusion, terrified that someone might offend Liu Wuxie.